


eyes can’t shine unless there’s something burning bright behind

by southernsraiders



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Zuki Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:34:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28263204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southernsraiders/pseuds/southernsraiders
Summary: hello loves! today i offer you a one shot for zuki week 2020 day three, hurt/comfort ! just a small heads up, super small content warning for violence/injury ! extra special thank you to my friend sofi for being my beta reader (and helping me brainstorm a title lol) love you<33 hope you guys enjoy and as always, lmk your thoughts !
Relationships: Suki/Zuko (Avatar)
Kudos: 19





	eyes can’t shine unless there’s something burning bright behind

**Author's Note:**

> hello loves! today i offer you a one shot for zuki week 2020 day three, hurt/comfort ! just a small heads up, super small content warning for violence/injury ! extra special thank you to my friend sofi for being my beta reader (and helping me brainstorm a title lol) love you<33 hope you guys enjoy and as always, lmk your thoughts !

The battle wasn’t exactly going in their favor. It was just him and Suki out on the very outskirts of the fire nation, where a lot of earthbenders resided on a private mission, and they’d encountered a group of bandits attempting to kidnap him. It was becoming more and more apparent that people had a death wish for the young Firelord, and he felt as if he couldn’t go anywhere without one threat or another. 

A bit of rock soared right past his head suddenly, knocking his balance off and pulling his attention away from his thoughts and back on the ask at hand.   
  
“We’ve got to get out of here!” Suki called from a few yards away. She was right, of course, they weren’t doing a very successful job keeping their opponents off. Zuko regained his footing and shot a burst of flame in the general direction of the man he fought, who dodged it instantly. It was times like this when he wished  _ he  _ had learned lightning bending instead of his prodigy younger sister, for his regular old fire proved itself useless. He grunted and reached for the dual swords that were strapped to his back. If his partner could fight these guys hand to hand, he figured he could too, and his bending wasn’t cutting it. Another bit of rock came flying towards him, and he crossed the swords in front of his face to block it. For the most part, it worked, though a small piece ricocheted off of the metal blades and cut clean across his unscarred cheek. He yelped in surprise and nearly dropped a blade, but quickly reached up to brush away the blood that had begun to trickle down from the cut and reset his stance.

Fighting the earthbenders hand to hand was more effective, and he even managed to take a couple down with his blades, leaving two standing, one for each of them. The last two bandits managed to maneuver the Firelord and Warrior into a tight corner of the clearing in the forest they had been fighting in, and their prospects looked dim. Suki took position standing with her back to his, fans drawn, but unsure what to do next.   
  
“Any ideas, your majesty?” She asked under her breath. Zuko rolled his eyes at her use of his title. 

“Not the time for formalities, Suki.” He replied. “But I have just one I could try.”   
  
“Well, be my guest.” She said, deflecting an oncoming rock with her fan. Zuko dropped his blades and created a small flame in his hands, spreading it out on the ground in front of the bandits. They yelled and leaped backwards to avoid the flames.

“Run! I’ll find you on the outside of the forest once I take care of this guy!” Zuko yelled. Suki nodded and took off, and her bandit chased her. Zuko extinguished the flames and reached for his swords once more. A few moments passed, and Zuko figured Suki was almost clear of the forest, until he heard her cry out.

“Suki!” He yelled, looking around frantically for which direction her unforgettable scream had come from. In a newfound urgency and rage, he was quick to finish off his bandit and ran in the direction she had left from just moments earlier.

He found her crumpled on the ground just a few yards from the edge of the forest, her bandit standing over her body clutching a bloody tipped sword. He quickly took him out, slicing his leg just enough to injure him to take him down, but not to kill him, and rushed over to the fallen warrior.

“Stay with me Suki.” He said as he crouched next to her. Her face was riddled with pain and her hand was cupped over the stab on her hip, but she was alive.   
  
“Zuko…” She said softly. She attempted to sit up and winced in pain before making it an inch off the ground. Zuko placed his hand on top of hers.

“That bad?” He asked. She nodded and swallowed back tears. Zuko carefully reached under her body and swept her up bridal style, careful not to apply pressure or strain to the new wound. He headed for the forest edge, and thankfully they were right near where they had parked their carriage. The Coachman that had accompanied them quickly scrambled out of the cage and bowed to the Firelord.

“Your majesty-” He started. 

“The lady’s been stabbed.” Zuko said, impatiently cutting the servant off. “We need to get back to the palace and to the physician as quickly and smoothly as possible.”   
  
“Yes, my Lord.” He said, quickly getting the carriage ready for the short journey. Zuko quickly set Suki in the carriage before climbing in himself. She appeared to be fading in and out of consciousness, and Zuko didn’t allow himself to think about what could happen if she died in his arms. He slid her head into his lap and started to absentmindedly play with her auburn hair, and she looked up at him and gave him a weak smile.

“Hey.” She said softly, reaching up and cupping his cheek with her hand.   
  
“Shhhh…” He said, wrapping his hand around hers. “Save your strength Kee.” Her eyes shut and her hand fell from his cheek, and her breathing appeared to become more and more labored, but she was alive. “We’re not far from the palace… Just hold on for me, just hold on.” He murmured, stroking her cheek ever so slightly.    
  
They arrived at the palace about ten minutes later, and she was holding on for dear life. As soon as the carriage was stopped, Zuko took her up in his arms once more and quickly headed in the grand golden doors. It only took a few seconds for the staff to flock to the scene, taking Suki from Zuko’s arms and to the hospital wing. He immediately went to follow them, and was stopped by one of the palace maids.   
  
“Your Majesty, they’ve asked for no one in the room.” She said, her hand on his shoulder to hold him back.   
  
“I don’t care what ‘they’ said, I outrank everyone here.” He said, frustrated. “I’m going in that room and I’m not leaving until I know she’s alive and healing.”   
  
“My lord, please.” The maid pleaded. “To no fault of your own, this is going to be an exceptionally hard procedure because of the travel time and circumstances, so if you want her to live I recommend you give the doctors some space to work.” He sighed. She was right, this would be a challenge for them to keep her alive. He swallowed back the hurt and anger and looked at the young girl.

“I’m sorry.” He said softly. “I just can’t lose her.” 

“I know.” The maid replied, her voice full of comfort and empathy. “Can I escort you to your quarters?”   
  
“I’ve lived here my whole life, I’m sure I can find my way to my bedroom.” He replied. 

“I know,” She started. “I just didn’t want you to feel alone.” 

“Thank you, but I’ll be alright.” He said. “Just- come find me immediately when she’s ready for visitors.”   
  
“You will be the first to know, my Lord.” She replied. She quickly bowed and headed off towards the hospital wing, and Zuko’s gaze lingered on her until her red and black uniform disappeared around a corner. Sighing to himself he headed for his bedroom.

Once he made it to his quarters, he drew himself a quick bath and cleaned up from the battle. Once he was clean and in his casual, off day from work attire, he cleaned up the cut on his cheek and bandaged it, thinking about how he now had a second scar on his face. He had hoped he would have stalled long enough for Suki to be ready for visitors, but no one had alerted him of anything, so he sat down at his desk. He figured if he had the time to spare, he might as well get some work done.

As he attempted to read the proposal scrolls he was behind on, he couldn’t get the fallen warrior out of his head. He had faith in the medical staff here at the palace, but he couldn’t help but worry about her. He didn’t know what he would do without her here to protect him and keep him company, and prayed he would never find out. He determined that he was useless in terms of Firelord duties for the time being, so he wrapped up his scrolls and collapsed on his bed, both exhausted and nervous about the fate of Suki, who was clinging onto life across the palace.

He wasn’t sure when, but he had drifted off to sleep, and was awoken by the maid who had stopped him in the hallway earlier.

“They gave her some time to rest, but she’s awake and in recovery, your Majesty.” She said, standing above his bed. “She’s ready for visitors whenever you want to stop by.”   
  
Zuko thanked her, and practically leaped out of bed. He quickly fixed his messy hair and rumpled attire, before practically sprinting down the halls of the Palace to the hospital wing.

“Suki.” He said softly as he entered the small hospital room. She laid on a bed in the center of the room, wearing a red tunic and black pants, her warrior makeup washed off of her face and her hair tied back. She looked exhausted and paler than usual, but a smile crossed her tired face when Zuko entered the room.

“Zuko!” She said with all of the enthusiasm she could muster. Zuko crossed the room to her bed and took a seat on a stool that sat nearby. 

“How are you feeling?” He asked lightly. He reached over and took her hand, gently lacing his fingers through hers and rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. 

“I’ve been better.” She joked, chuckling ever so lightly. “How about you? How’s your cheek?”

“How’s my cheek?! Suki, you almost died! And you’re asking how the glorified paper cut on my cheek is?” He asked, appalled. She laughed once more and reached up to touch it lightly.

“It’s my duty to protect you, Zuko.” She said. “Any injury of yours can be a fault of mine.”

“Nonsense, Kee.” He protested. “If today showed me anything it’s that maybe I should try harder to protect  _ you. _ ” 

“But this is my job-” She started. Zuko pressed a finger to her lips and made a shushing noise almost as if she was a crying child.

“But I care about you, and I need you to be safe.” He said, glancing away. “Almost losing you today was more than I can bear, if I ever actually did…”

“I’m not going anywhere, Zuko.” She said softly, tugging at his chin so their eyes met. 

“You better not.” He teased. Her face flushed slightly, and Zuko found himself lost in her blueish grey eyes. She was beautiful, even at quite possibly her worst physical state, she’d always been beautiful. Something about Suki was just so captivating, the way she was so comforting and loving, yet so fierce and strong. 

They sat together talking for a while, only stopping when they were interrupted by doctors who were checking on Suki. One of them gave Zuko a full report on Suki’s condition, and the doctor told her she was to be on strict bed rest for a few days until her hip healed.

“I’ll hold her to it!” Zuko said cheerfully. Suki shot him a glare, and the doctor excused himself.

Sure enough, he did, and for the next four days that Suki was in bed, Zuko was by her side every free moment.

“You don’t have to do this, you know.” She said one day as they had afternoon tea in her bedroom. She had been granted permission to move out of the hospital wing and to her own quarters yesterday, so she laid sprawled out on her bed while he sat cross legged in the bottom corner of it. “Don’t you have work to do?”

“I do, but I want to be here, with you.” He said simply. “It may be your  _ job _ to protect me, but it’s  _ my _ job to look after you.”

They kept this routine for a week while she rested, and soon enough the doctors granted her permission to go back to some daily activities, or at least not spend all day in bed. Zuko had a lot of work to catch up on from his temporary hiatus to spend time with Suki, so the next few days they basically only saw each other at meals. 

Another week passed, and Suki was almost fully recovered. It was much easier for her to move, and Zuko’s workload was growing smaller and smaller. He managed to catch up in time to call it a day just before sunset almost exactly two weeks since their battle. Zuko wrapped up his scrolls and changed out of his Firelord attire into casual clothes, and went to find the warrior for some much needed time together.

He found her out on the balcony, staring off into the sunset. She was radiant under the orange and pink hued sky, and Zuko was so taken back by her beauty he nearly fell out onto the balcony. She looked so graceful, almost like a work of art, as she surveyed the setting sun.

“Mind if I join you?” He asked, stepping out and taking a spot next to her along the railing.

“Zuko!” She said, throwing her arms around him in a hug. “It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve had a moment of your time.”

“I’m sorry, Kee.” He said softly once they pulled apart. “Taking a week off to spend with you on bedrest made me fall pretty far behind.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” She asked, her eyes riddled with concern.

“No, I’m all caught up now.” He said, smiling. That’s why I came out here to find you.”

“Well I’m glad it worked out.” She said, smiling back. She turned back towards the sunset, but Zuko’s gaze remained on her. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, studying her.

“I’ve been thinking about the bandits a lot.” She confessed. “I’m supposed to protect you, and they took me down! If you weren’t so quick on your feet we might not have made it…”

“Suki, relax.” He said, taking her hand. “You did nothing wrong. They were a troublesome bunch, and you’re not a bad fighter because of what happened. You still protected me, right? I’m still here. You need to worry less about protecting me.”

“It’s my job Zuko.” She replied softly.

“Maybe,” He said, their eyes meeting. “We worry about protecting each other. You look after me, but only if I look after you. You’re not alone, Suki. I’m not going anywhere.” 

Her eyes welled up with tears as looked up at him, and Zuko felt as if no one else had ever existed, it was just them. Suki and Zuko, Warrior and Firelord, fan and flame. His heart rate increased as he realized something that had been burning in his heart for quite some time. 

He silently pulled her into a second embrace, and shut his eyes and sighed. He was so relieved to have her in his arms, still with him. He had imagined a million times over in the past two weeks of what horrific fates could’ve met her, but today, now, he knew that she was safe, and he never wanted to let go. As they slowly pulled apart, his arm stayed around her waist, her head leaned over so it rested on his shoulder, and they watched in silence as the golden sun sunk below the horizon, and night fell, at peace with each other’s company, in a beautiful array of total bliss.


End file.
